Happy Days
by dystopianlover13
Summary: Annabeth Chase is rich and has an abusive mother. Percy Jackson is the opposite. Just out of being homeless, they meet again in high school after an encounter when they were 7 years old. They connect immediately. Then Annabeth learns she has leukemia, and she meets a fellow cancer patient, Luke, a high school basketball star. Alternate universe! Please R&R! Thanks everyone!
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! I'm going to see if this story is successful. It's about Percy and Annabeth in an AU, btw. The story also won't be this depressing the whole time, we just need some background on Percy and Annabeth. So ya! Let's get this started, shall we?**

Percy and Annabeth are both 7 years old for this prologue chappie.

Annabeth's Pov:

Green eyes. That's about all I can see through all the dirt covering his face. I think he has black hair. I wipe the tears out from under my eyes, and I wave at him. He smiles back at me, and gives a small wave. _He waved. _I reach inside a pocket of my fluffy pink skirt, and pull out a necklace. It's simple, just a silver chain with a fake blue jewel on the end. I think it will make him happy though.

I wave him over, and he cautiously steps forward. I hand him the necklace, and he reaches forward and gently takes it from my hand. He looks up at me with his pretty eyes, and says in a high voice, "Thank you."

He smiles again at me with a wide smile, and then he goes back to the cardboard box where he came from. I unwrap my arms from around my knees, and stand back up from my huddled up position on the steps of my brick porch, and smile to myself. He waved at me. And smiled, and was nice to me. No one does that. But one simple wave and a smile is all I need for cheering me up. Any small act of kindness. I hear my mommy screaming at me from inside, and my bottom lip starts trembling again. She's already done enough to me already, hasn't she? I rest my head on one of the columns on our porch, only to pull it back again. It hurts too much.

I lightly touch my head, and feel pain. Probably going to be a bruise. Again. I start crying again, and I hear my mommy screaming at me to shut up, she barely touched me. Yeah right. She always says that. My bruise on my arm seems bigger than usual, and I wonder why. I wonder about a lot of things though. Like why my mommy hates me. Why she takes out all her sadness and anger on me. Why a little girl like me has to always be sad. But right now, when that boy waved at me, that made me happy. That was nice.

Daddy used to be so nice to me too. But then the accident happened. He's not here anymore, but I save our moments together in my memory.

I wonder about that boy. What his name is. I wish he could have stayed longer, but he must have heard my mommy inside and gotten scared. Not many people can stay around too long, because of mommy. When people walk past our house, which is a lot, because we live in a "rich people" neighborhood, they always start speed walking when they hear my mommy.

But that boy made me happy. Really happy. I'll remember that.

This is a happy day.

* * *

Percy's Pov:

I watch as she runs out of her house onto the porch, tears streaming down her face. She gulps for air, and hiccups a little bit. She curls up, and hums a tune to herself. It seems to calm her.

After a few minutes, she looks up and spots me. She waves at me with a little smile on her face, even though she had been crying. I wave back, because I want to make her feel better. I always hear her mommy screaming at her when they're inside. I feel bad for her. She's not stuck up like the other kids in their neighborhood either. She gestures at me to come to where she is, and so I go over. I'm a little scared because her mommy is just inside, but it's worth it to make her happy. She hands me a necklace, and I'm so shocked, that it takes me minute to actually take it. I finally manage to squeak out a thank you. Nobody has ever given me a gift. My mommy would, but we of course can't afford it. We don't even have a house. Just some cardboard boxes. But our relationship between us is enough to keep us going. It's a happy relationship. I should be getting back to my mommy actually. She's probably wondering where I am.

As I run back, I think to myself. My mommy is actually nice and loving, but we're poor. The girl's mommy is mean, and is horrible to everyone, but they're rich. Which is better? In my opinion, love is.

Happiness is.

**How was it? Yes, it was depressing, but that's only because it's a character background chappie. Also a prologue. So ya! Please review if you want! Thanks so much!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ahhhh! Thanks so much guys for giving the story great 1st day stats! Oh, okay, so for this one, it isn't a prologue anymore. So, they're in 11th grade, and you'll find out how Percy was even able to get into a proper high school. So, here we go!**

1st day of 11th grade.

Annabeth's Pov:

_No. It can't be._ I try to ignore him, and I walk quickly away. I try to not feel those green eyes watching me. How can he even be in this school? Maybe it isn't him. That would make a lot of sense.

Could be a new kid to the school.

I know what I saw though.

It _is_ him. But even if it is him, it's not like I would ever see him. I'm smart, all honors classes, and I'm not really popular, but I'm not a social reject. He's probably going to be in no honors classes, considering his living condition when he was young.

But, he _is _devastatingly handsome. Oh god, did I just say that?

Well, I guess I'll just have to see if we're in any classes together. Maybe gym, if anything. There's not any honors or non honors gym. He's pretty fit looking though. Not bodybuilder type of fit, but more of a cross country running sort of guy. Toned legs. Oh, and tanned. A gorgeously tanned face makes his eyes stand out beautifully.

Wait. I'm checking him out. Crap. That's awkward. I quickly turn around, glad that he was examining his schedule, not looking at me. God, if he was looking at me, I would be so embarrassed. Me, Annabeth Chase, checking out a new guy? Not gonna happen. Well, that's what most people think. Pretty much anybody who doesn't know me, but just judges me on how I look. Blonde hair, gray eyes, fit, I guess I'm pretty, but, I wear those huge, over sized nerd glasses. Not that I need them, I just think that they just add character.

Anyways, I better be heading to my first class. Honors science. Whatever that means. Chemistry, biology? I don't know. Not that it matters right now. We don't do anything on the first day of school.

When I sit down at my desk, I look around for my best friend, Zoë. There she is, in the back corner, texting on her phone.

"Hey, Zoë!" I say as I try to get her attention. She has her earbuds in, and therefore can't even hear me. I groan, and try again. "Zoë Nightshade!"

She finally looks up, pulls her earbuds out, and says, "What?" looking around the room. No one else is in here yet, and so her eyes soon find me. "Oh, it's just you, Annabeth," she says, and comes over.

Some people say Zoë is the prettiest girl in school. She _is _really pretty, in an exotic looking way, but she doesn't use it to her advantage. She _could _be really popular, but she just hangs out with me. I'm good with that.

When she sits down, she checks to make sure the room is still empty besides us, and whispers in my ear.

"Hey, have you seen the new guy?"

"Uh, yeah. Why?"

"Pretty cute, eh?"

I roll my eyes. Of course she would say that.

From the sound of footsteps, I figure another person has entered the room.

I turn around, and see him. Now that I see him closer, I can really see all his features. Shoot. It seriously is him. I wonder if he recognizes me. His eyes pop out of his head when he sees me after looking up from his schedule.

Yep. Guess he recognizes me too. See, this wouldn't be so bad, but he actually knows my secret. About my abusive mom. But, I know he was homeless. I'm assuming he's not anymore, because he's wearing decent clothes, and doesn't look starved, like when I saw him before. I'm about to introduce myself, but then he speaks up.

"Hi, my name's Percy Jackson."

Percy Jackson. Beautiful name to match a beautiful boy, inside and out, if he's still the same as before. Hopefully he can still make me as happy as I was the day we first met. Not even Zoë can do that. It takes a true miracle for me to have a happy day.

I guess Percy Jackson is the miracle in my life.

* * *

Percy's Pov:

Finally. All of my hard work has paid off. I can get into school with the money I've earned by working at the local zoo as a feeder for the fish. I honestly think it's pretty fun, being able to swim around there.

But, anyways, I have to focus on school. I've worked my butt off trying to catch up with where everyone else is in my class. So far, I think I'm all caught up. My mom always says that I'm naturally intelligent. I don't know, maybe I am. But it doesn't matter for me how smart I am, as long as my mom is happy. She's worked her butt off too, and so now we actually have a real house. Not an upscale one, like Annabeth Chase's. I've heard everyone talking about how rich she is. I haven't even seen her, but from what people say, she's actually pretty nice. Maybe I'll see her.

Well, here I am at school. I decide to go to my first class, which is just down the hall. I walk in and see two girls sitting in there. I walk in and the blonde one turns around. _Oh my god. _It's her.

**So how was that? Please tell me in the reviews! Thanks so much!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! Thanks so much for reviewing, following, favoriting, etc! It means a lot! Alright, let's get to the story!**

Percy's Pov:

I think I need to remind myself to breathe.

For one thing, I'm pretty sure that she recognizes me too. Another thing, she doesn't seem to unhappy about it as far as I can see. And lastly, she's beautiful.

I wonder if she's still being abused by her mom. I can't see anything right away, but when she lifts up her arm to push her glasses up her nose, I can see a dark purple bruise on the inside of her bicep. When she tucks her hair behind her ear, I see a lock of golden hair move out of place on her neck, and I see another bruise. She hides it well, a normal person probably couldn't even see in her face any signs of depression. And believe me, I know what that looks like. Then she introduces herself with a voice as sweet as honey.

"Hi, my name's Annabeth. How are you doing?" She holds out her hand for me to shake. She's Annabeth? Huh. Didn't expect her to be like this. I finally take her hand and I respond.

"I'm good. My name's Percy." I try not to act really awkward. She obviously recognizes me, and I guess I can make it known that I recognize her too. I lean forward and whisper in her ear.

"Okay, Annabeth. It's pretty clear that you recognize me, so I just want to say that I remember you too." I lean back and look at her face.

"Does your mom still...ya know?" I murmur.

I watch as her eyes gather some unshedded tears, and I mentally curse myself. But she nods after blinking a few times.

"Does anyone else know?" I ask.

"No, not even Zoë, my best friend. She's right over there," she says, pointing behind her at a dark haired girl sitting at a desk texting on her phone. Then she looks up. She has black eyes, and tanned skin. I would bet a lot of guys like her. She makes her way over to us, and we introduce ourselves.

"Hey, what's up? I'm Zoë," she says, chomping down on her gum, and then popping a bubble.

Annabeth laughs at her friend's laid back greeting, which lightened the mood.

"Hi there, I'm Percy," I say, laughing a little.

"So..Percy, you're new to the school, right? Where're you from?"

I can see Annabeth suck in a breath, but I keep cool.

"I'm just from downtown actually," I say, making it sound like I've just moved from the cities, not from a few cardboard boxes.

* * *

Annabeth's Pov:

I keep on getting enveloped in the sea of Percy's eyes. He's so...perfect. Oh my god. Please don't tell me I just said that out loud. I just finished telling Percy about my mom still abusing me, and now I see Zoë coming over to us. She introduces herself to Percy, and I laugh at how she just goes up to Percy and says the most casual greeting, while mine was some messed up reunion of two kids who had a horrible childhood.

I'm busy getting lost in Percy's dreaminess, but then I hear Zoë ask him where he's from. Shoot. She doesn't know. Then I hear Percy totally pull it off, making his past seem completely normal. I guess he didn't lie, just didn't say the whole truth. That's good enough for me.

* * *

_Ouch. _That hurt. I just banged into the wall next to my mirror, but what's weird is that I already have a bruise. I hit myself on the side of the face lightly, and roll my eyes at myself for being so clumsy. I look at my face in the mirror, and I gasp at what I see.

Where I just tapped my cheek for being clumsy, there's already a shadow of a bruise forming. Already? And I barely even touched myself! I'm getting bruises from the slightest touches!

Strange. I push it to the back of my mind though, I've got other stuff to worry about. Like Percy Jackson.

**Oooo, that was a bit of a short chapter, sorry about that. I may not update tomorrow, I'm leaving for vacation since I'm on spring break! Anyways, I'll be back ASAP! See ya!**


	4. Hey I'm Back!

Hey guys! I just got back from michigan, so I'll hopefully update tomorrow! See ya next chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey peeps! I am back from Michigan! We went skiing, it was fun, and now I'm back! I'm in a good mood right now, I just wrote a super awesome chappie of my other good story The Infinities! It was chapter 60, so I made a really good chappie for it! Anyways, here we go!**

Annabeth's Pov:

God. I really should get this checked out. All of these bruises on my arms aren't necessarily coming from my mom anymore. I mean yes, she's still abusive, _that _of course hasn't changed, but for the past few weeks now, I'm getting bruises from every little touch. I have to go to the doctor. I'll go after school today, by myself.

"Annabeth! Annabeth Chase!" I jerk my head up from my desk, and see my teacher staring at me.

"Uh, what?" I say, embarrassed. She must have asked me something. I gotta stop nodding off. It's been a problem recently.

Ms. Johnson repeats her question, and I answer right away. Easy. All of my classes are _so_ easy. It's actually kind of annoying. Most kids would die to have easy classes, but not me. I actually like being academically challenged, unlike some. Cough cough, Zoë.

Anyways, it's weird, but it seems like there's another person that's in the same dilemma as me. That would be Percy. It's really funny, because you'd think that he'd be struggling to keep up with the class, but he's surprisingly smart. Hmm. Could be a threat to my class rank as first.

Oh well, I wouldn't want anyone else more to go against.

I feel a pair of eyes looking at me as I speedwalk to the doctor's. I sigh and turn around.

"What is it Percy?"

He looks down, and pauses before he speaks. "Well, I'm just kinda worried about you. You seem...tired..lately. And..." he comes closer to me and then continues quietly, "I've noticed that you have more bruises than usual. I just...I wanna know if you're okay."

I smile, even though I'm really tired right now, and then say, "Thanks Percy, but I'm fine. No worries."

He raises an eyebrow, and says, "Annabeth. You can't lie to me. It's pretty obvious, at least to me, that you're not okay. Not in the slightest," he says, worry everywhere on his face, in his voice, his eyes.

I sigh, and readjust my backpack over my shoulder. "Percy, thank you, seriously, for your concern, but I have to go, so...I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

I turn, but all I can think is _So tired__. So...tired. So... _I must have fallen, because the next thing I know, I'm on the ground, my eyes looking straight at the cement sidewalk.

Then Percy's sitting me up, looking into my eyes.

"Woah, woah. Annabeth. Are you okay? Well, obviously not, but what happened?"

I blink and groan, and say, "What? I'm sorry, what just happened?"

"You, you just collapsed, and, and oh my god! Annabeth...there's a bruise all over the side of your cheek!" Then he mutters, "Okay. Okay, Annabeth, we're going to the hospital. Right now."

I shake my head, and says, "What? Where are we going?"

"Shhh. I get the feeling that talking right now won't help you."

Oooh, yeah. He's right. I have a pounding headache, and then he picks me up bridal style, and starts running down the sidewalk.

* * *

Percy's Pov:

Fortunately the hospital is only a few blocks away, and I reach the doors in only a minute or so.

As I burst through the automatic doors of the emergency room, a young tan doctor comes up to me right away. He must see the desperate look on my face, because he says, "Alright. Take a breather man. What's wrong?"

"I don't know. I don't know. But Annabeth, she's been getting so many bruises after every little bump, and she just keeps falling asleep in class. I swear I'm not just overreacting. Something's wrong."

"Okay, well, put her down on the bed here, and I'll run an exam on her."

"Kay, sounds good." I take a deep breath and run a hand through my hair. I sit down next to Annabeth's bed and look at her.

Her eyes are closed, she passed out a while ago, but while I look at her face, her eyes blink open.

"Wha...where are we?"

"Hey Annabeth. We're at the hospital. You collapsed, and I just brought you here. The doctor guy's running an exam now."

Her eyes widen, but I get the idea she can't really do much else, she's so tired. Then she says, "Oh god. My mom's not here right?"

"Uhh, no. I don't think so."

She breathes out and says, "Okay. That's good. I don't want her near me right now. You can understand why, I can assume."

"Yeah, I get why." I'm about to say more, but then her eyelids close again, and she starts breathing quietly through her mouth.

God, she's beautiful, nerd glasses and all.

And, god, I've fallen for her hard.

**So, how was that? Anyways, thanks everyone for following, favoriting, and reviewing!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey Peeps! So, I'm figuring out where this story is going to go. I'm not completely sure, but I'll just go with it. We'll see where it leads us. **

**_Oh, so, all this hospital stuff might not all be right, because this is a fanfic, and an AU!_ Also, I'm pretty sure not all this would work in real life. **

** So, I guess, here we go!**

Percy's Pov:

"Hey Percy. How's it going?" the doctor, who introduced himself as Alex Hunt, asks me after an hour of me waiting.

"Um, fine, I guess. If you mean besides Annabeth." She woke up 20 minutes ago, and she smiles at me.

"Yeah, so..Annabeth, your parents should probably come. If you haven't already called them."

"No, no no no. My mom can't come. She's...she just can't. If she comes, I'm leaving," she says.

"Uhh, why's that?"

Annabeth looks down, and then mumbles, "I don't want to say. I...she'd probably kill me if I said. But, I can pay for everything, if that's why she has to be here."

"Well...that's part of it, but it's also because we need a legal guardian to sign the papers."

"Oh, okay, well... uh..what if..you're legal guardian is...let's say..dangerous to the patient?"

"Then..." Alex leans forward, and whispers to us, "Look, guys, what's going on here?"

"I..can't..." then Annabeth puts on a defiant expression, and says, "Okay, Alex, my mom...she's abusive. I don't want her near me. My dad, he's dead, and my grandparents have all died too, just because they were really old. My mom is the only person that would qualify, I guess, but I swear, if she is even near me, I will run out of this place before you can blink."

Alex scrunches up his eyebrows, and whispers, "Okay, Annabeth, I can help you out here. But, do you have anyone who can sign the papers for you? Like.." he looks between Annabeth and me, "are you two dating or something?"

My eyes open wide, and as I look over at Annabeth, I see her blushing. I cough awkwardly, but then it gets worse when Annabeth replies, with, "Yeah, we're dating."

My cheeks feel like they could light on fire. I'm probably blushing madly. _Uhhh, what?! Since when did we start dating? Not that it would necessarily be a bad thing... _I take a glance at Annabeth, and she gives me a look that says _just go with it._

Two can play at that game. I look at Alex and say, "Uh, yeah. We're dating, have been for two years. She denies it, but she was the one who asked me out in the first place. I am _quite_ the looker in her eyes," I say, taunting Annabeth.

Now she's the one who looks like a tomato. "Uh, don't listen to Percy. He's..he's, just..yeah," she says awkwardly, breaking off to cough, and punch me in the arm.

"Oh, um, okay, so...you _are_ dating then," Alex says, with a hint of a question in his voice.

"Yep," I say, popping the _p_.

"Okay, I'll just slightly bend the rules then. Percy, you can sign then."

"Wait, I forgot to ask. What am I signing here?"

"Oh. Okay," Alex says, letting out a breath. "So, here's the results of the tests. Okay, Annabeth, Percy, you ready?"

We look at each other worriedly, all the joking gone, and say, "Okay," at the same time, not as much to Alex, but almost more to each other.

"Okay. Annabeth, you have leukemia. Fortunately, though, it isn't too late to treat..."

I look at Annabeth, and all of Alex's words have faded into the distance. All sound has disappeared. No. No. Something has to have gone wrong in the tests. Mixed it up with somebody else. But I know, though, that that couldn't have happened. Deep inside, I know. I realize that the easy bruising, the tiredness, those are all symptoms of leukemia.

Everything seems to be happening in slow motion, but I see Annabeth's face crumple, and she hugs her knees to her chest. This can't be happening.

So. What happens now?

**Hey peeps. So...that happened. Yep. Don't kill me now, I'll hopefully be back tomorrow. That was depressing though. Well, Alex did say something about treatment though! There is hope! Do not worry, my wonderful readers!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Heyoooooo! So, guys, please don't kill me. I WILL NOT KILL ANNABETH. Don't worry. I know that if I did that, you might all hunt me down and kill me. Just kidding! But, I know you guys would hate it, and I don't want that to happen. So, here we go!**

All of this complicated medical stuff is actually pretty true, because I did a whole bunch of research. Not just in this chapter either, but in more to come, I'm not going to be super unrealistic and just make the leukemia go away in one chapter. This has to be semi realistic. So ya!

_Oh! You must read this! Okay, so I decided to change Annabeth and Percy and Zoë to being in 12th grade, not 11th! It's for the good of the story, so it will make sense._

Annabeth's Pov:

Oh my god. Oh my god. This can not be happening. I see Percy trying to talk to me, and Alex is still spouting off some crazy medical stuff.

Wait.

I caught a glimpse of what he was saying, and if I'm right, he said something about treatment. That's right. Chemo and all that stuff. I clear away the fuzz inside my head, and force myself to listen to him.

"Wait, what did you say Alex?" I ask in a thick voice. "About treatment?"

"Yeah, okay, so we actually caught it pretty early, so that's really good. So, we could probably do chemo on you, and that would probably work out. There's a really good chance that you'll pull through."

Alex says it like it's nothing, like we're not talking about my life, but he probably has said this same thing a crap ton of times before to different people.

"The survival rate for ALL, which is what you have, is higher than 85%. We have really good technology, so you have a good chance of making it," he repeats.

85%! That's actually really good. Maybe I can make it through this all eventually. We have hope.

* * *

~1 Month later, and Annabeth has started chemo already.~

It's Saturday morning, and I hum as I brush my blonde hair up into a ponytail. Then, I see a huge chunk of hair fall out. My eyes widen but I tell myself to breathe. Alex said this would happen from the chemo. Okay. Okay. I already bought a wig. It's a high quality one, and it matches my hair color exactly, so no one will notice. I mean, I guess I'll have to work out the school situation. I should probably do online or something, but for now, I'm okay.

I've already told Zoë about my condition, and she freaked out at first, but then she finally calmed down after I told her that I have a high chance of making it. She promised not to tell anyone, until I decide it's time to announce it. I just have to tell mom.

* * *

I hear the front door downstairs open. Probably my mom. I have to tell her. I mean, we don't even talk that much. After my dad died, she just shut me out, and took out all her anger and grief on me. Which is why I think she abuses me. I'm probably right too, even though she usually refuses to even acknowledge my presence most of the time, let alone share her feelings. Well, she is my mom still, even if she's really messed up.

I suck in a breath, and then let it out. I pad quietly down the stairs to see my mom sitting at the kitchen counter, running her hands through her gray streaked hair.

"Um. Hey...mom?" I ask hesitantly.

She looks up slowly and says tiredly, "What do you want Annabeth?"

"Well, listen, I know we haven't really been, uh, communicating lately, but I..I need someone in my life to be a mother figure. You haven't been very...motherly, to put it lightly. I know that dad's passing was hard on you, but that's not an excuse." I'm starting to get kind of angry now. "There has been plenty of widowed people in the world, but they don't go hitting their kids. They don't ruin their 7 year old's life. They don't destroy their innocent child's social, mental, emotional, and physical state. They don't freakin' ABANDON their 1st grader when they need them most. No, you didn't just abandon me, you went far beyond that. You abused me. You could have given me brain damage. Would you have even CARED?". I feel bad about the last sentence, but all of that stuff before, she did that. She did it to a freakin' seven year old.

I see a tear roll down her cheek. Finally she speaks. "Annabeth, I..I'm sorry. I know that's not even close to an acceptable apology for all I did. Just, is there anything I can do to somewhat make up for it? Anything?"

"Yeah. There is. You can stop being a jerk. You can start being a mother. You can start over. I am giving you one last chance mom. Don't ruin your life again. Or anyone else's."

"Okay. I promise you I will try."

"Okay mom," I whisper, and turn to go up to my room.

"Wait, Annabeth. You were going to say something earlier I think?"

Oh, shoot. Yeah. "Yeah. Okay, mom, you promise to be..a mom now?"

"Yes. Yes, Annabeth, go ahead."

"Okay, well...I've been keeping you in the dark about this, but now that you're going to be a mom, Im going to tell you. It's...serious, but I've gotten it worked out mostly. I...I have leukemia." My tone is deadly serious.

My mom's eyes widen, and she breathes out, "No. No. No...". Her eyes leak out a few tears, but then she looks up at me and she straightens up. She stands up and takes my hand, and I hold in my flinch with all my strength. She's changed, I remind myself.

She looks me in the eye, and says, "Annabeth, we're going to be okay."


	8. Hey! :D

**Hello wonderful readers! Lately I've been posting on this story, and not my other one, so I should probs do my other story (The Infinities) today, so I can't post today for this story. Sorry! See ya soon!**


	9. Gotta Be Quality

**Hey guys! So..I can't actually update today, because I had written up the chappies, but..they were really rushed and sucky, so I'm gonna rewrite them and post tomorrow! I dont want to put up bad quality chappies. So ya! Sorry I cant update, but see ya tomorrow! Oh..I am thinking about casting too! I like Logan and Alexandra, but not as Percy and Annabeth. Just personally, but I still like them though! Anyways, byaa!**


	10. I PROMISE!

Hey Guys! I can't update today, but I've written most of the chappie, I just have to finish up the ending of it. Blame my mom, she's making me go to bed right now. Anyways, I SWEAR I WILL UPDATE TOMORROW. No matter how many amazing One Directions songs I go through. It will happen. I PROMISE YOU. 


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey Peeps :D! I'm back! Oh, you know, if you haven't figured this out already from looking at the reviews, my name is Kiri. One of my friends accidentally said my name in her review, so it's like, whatever. I'll just say my name, might as well. Okay, so, I guess I'll get back to this. I don't really know what to do, but I'll figure it out as I go. Oh, also, right now, I'm on a One Direction song obsessiveness, so I listened to every single one of their songs yesterday, and I made a playlist of my faves on my KindleFire. So ya! Three are Half a Heart, Over Again, and Moments! They're so pretty, and I started crying in english yesterday when I first heard Over Again, because my friend and I were sharing earbuds, and that's what she played, and I was like, dying, because it's so pretty! Okay, here we go!  
**

A month later.

Annabeth's Pov:

Percy and I are walking to this hair salon place, because I need to get some wigs. I need some different hairstyles! Come on people! I'm a teenage girl! Anyways, I've been thinking about Percy and me. Like, what's up between us? We were seriously messing with Alex when we were claiming that we were dating, but we're not actually. Right? I don't think you can count carrying a passed out girl to a hospital a date. Or, at least, not a good one.

The bell jingles as I push open the door, and the, I'd say...20 year old lady at the desk turns to look at me. "Hi, my name's Ashley, what can I do for you?" she asks nicely.

"Hi! I'm Annabeth, and we're looking to buy some wigs, for me," I say.

"Oh okay, follow me."

She gets up and her flip flops make little _fwop fwop fwop_ sounds as she walks down past a whole bunch of mirrors on the walls.

"So, why do you need a wig? You've got beautiful hair."

"Oh, actually this is a wig I'm wearing now," I say, a little awkwardly.

"Oh, okay." Ashley sounds a slight bit guilty, probably cluing in about the whole cancer/chemo thing and she brushes a lock of blonde hair behind her ear.

"Oh, don't feel bad! It's totally fine," I say, laughing it off, to try to ease the awkwardness.

She laughs a little and her blush fades. "Okay, see, I should seriously be used to this, because a lot of cancer patients come in here for wigs, but everybody's different. Some people don't care talking about it, like you, but others are kind of reserved when it comes to their sickness."

"Oh, no, I don't like it to be awkward. Bad things happen to all of us, in different forms, but in a world like this, all of us will encounter bad things. It's just a part of this messed up world we live in. Ya know?"

Ashley blows out a breath, and says,"Yeah, for sure. Dang this world, right?"

I laugh, and say, "Yeah-" but then my sentence is cut off when I see a boy sifting through the guys sectinon of the wigs. Holy crap. He's straight out gorgeous. He turns to me and I see bright blue eyes. I analyze his features. Golden blonde hair, tall, probably 6'1, the build of a basketball player, defined cheekbones, and sky blue eyes. Then he starts speaking.

"Hi, I'm Luke. How's it going?"

I catch my breath, and say, "Oh, uh, hi. My name's Annabeth, and, uh, this is Percy."

Percy lifts a hand and gives a small wave to Luke, and says, "Hey, what's up?"

"Hey man, what're you guys here for?"

I break in. "Oh, for me. I've got leukemia. You know, chemo causes hair to fall out, so we're here for some wigs."

"Oh, no way! Same here, same here! Yeah, I have leukemia, and still have hair for now, but pretty soon I'll have to start using wigs pretty soon."

"Oh okay, cool. Making connections, yeah?" I say, pointing between the two of us.

I see out of the corner of my eye Percy awkwardly standing beside me, and he looks down at his shoes. I guess in this situation, he's somewhat of an outsider. Weird. Never thought I would ever connect with a good looking guy over cancer. Hey, anything can happen, right?

I can feel Luke's blue gaze on me, and to can feel my ears burning. Good thing my wig has long hair.

I decide to break the awkward silence. "So, what sorta things do you like?"

"Oh, I like basketball." I knew it. "I also like..faults. I like it when people are less than perfect, you know? I don't know, I just think there's nothing completely perfect in this world." Then he mutters something so quiet I can't hear it.

I hear Percy awkwardly coughing. He must have heard what Luke said.

I'll ask him later. Then Luke turns around to face the rack, and he picks a wig that perfectly matches his hair color. It's side swept, and up a little bit. Reminds me of Niall's hair from One Direction. God. I don't even like One Direction. I'm not really into boybands. Anyways, Luke turns back around and says to Ashley, "Okay, I think this is what I'm gonna get today."

"Okay, cool. Looks good, huh?"

"Yeah, for sure." Luke pays and then says a bye to Percy and I and walks outside.

I turn to Percy and ask him,"So, what did Luke say after he was talking about liking faults?"

His eyes take on an expression that I can't quite read. Then he says, "He said, 'your faults are perfect, though.'"

"Oh," I say. Then it dawns on me what his expression was.

Jealousy.

**Okay, so I added a new character. Luke, who by the way, is Luke Castellan. But, it is an alternate universe, so he doesn't have to be evil. Like Zoë in this is completely different person than she was in Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Which, by the way, I don't own. I think I'm supposed to say that at some point. So yeah. Anyhoo, this Luke character is interesting. Fellow leukemia patient, cute, athletic, and flirty.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Okay, so what do you all think about Luke? I know what I'm going to do with him, Percy, and Annabeth, I just don't know when to make all the big things happen, you know? So yeah, I'll figure it out. Alright, I'm going to get some background going for Luke now, so here we go!**

One month before he meets Annabeth and Percy.

Luke's Pov:

I shoot the basketball at the hoop on my asphalt driveway, and it goes in with a _swoosh. _I interrupt its path to take it in my hands again. I wipe my hand across my forehead, and it comes away with sweat on it. Already? I just got out here. I've only shot the basketball once, and it's only 50 degrees(Fahrenheit) out here. I gotta practice. The state championship game is in two days, on Tuesday afternoon. I ignore the impulse to lie down on my couch in the living room, and shoot hoops for another hour. At that point I actually have to go inside and lie down, because there are black spots swimming in my vision.

I take a second to stagger over to the fridge in the kitchen, and I grab a Gatorade from the door. I take a swig, but all it does is relieve my dry throat. I was hoping for something like a sudden burst of energy like all those NBA stars seem to get in the commercials. I know I'm stupid for thinking that, but if I'm in this sort of condition for the big game on Tuesday, then my team is not going to do too well. I'm the captain, and the star pretty much, I guess you could say. I usually get 3/4 of the points each game for my team. It's stressful though. I mean, if I'm out for a game, then the team's gonna suffer pretty badly. I'm in my senior year, and I've gotten a whole bunch of scholarship offers from different colleges.

Well, it's 8:49. I guess I might as well get as much sleep as possible. This is probably the earliest I've ever gone to bed since I started middle school. I didn't really have that much homework, even though I'm in all Honors/ AP classes. Whatever, I'm wasting sleeping time contemplating my school life.

* * *

_The_ _day_ _of_ _the_ _game._

I jog out onto the court, leading the team. Everybody in our side of the stands stands up and whoops and cheers. A whole bunch of the popular girls are in the front row, down by the bench, and some are holding signs staying stuff like, "Go Luke!" or other phrases that cheer me on. A whole bunch wear short skirts and off-the-shoulder tops, trying to be flirty. Ugh. I haven't dated anyone before, just because no one's ever struck me.

I get into position so the ref can start the play, and the other captain comes up too. He's taller than me, probably by an inch, and has striking ice blue eyes set against warm chocolate toned skin. We give each other tense nods, feeling all eyes on us. Then the ref throws the ball up and we both go for it. I somehow end up being the one who gets the ball and I start dribbling towards the hoop, looking for someone to pass to. Then pain explodes across my face, and stars fill my vision. I fall to the court, and I hear the ref blow the whistle, but it sounds far away. I feel something flowing from my nose, and I realize it's blood. Oh my god. It's everywhere. Why is there so much!? I try to get up to a sitting position, and I manage to lean on my elbows. When I look up, I see my teammates running over to me. The coach comes rushing across the court to me, and eases me to my feet. More spots cloud my vision, and what I can see is in black and white.

I hear someone say they're dialing 911, and coach sits me down on the bench. Someone hands me a box of Kleenex, and I numbly pull a whole bunch of them to my nose, but they're soaked instantly. I think I pass out at some point, because the next thing I see is paramedics putting me into the ambulance. I can hear the audience screaming and wondering what the heck's wrong with me.

* * *

_The next day._

Apparently I have leukemia. Well, that explains a lot.

**Okay, so now we know more about Luke. I don't want you guys to hate him. He's a good guy. So yeah, there you go. See you next update!**


	13. SCHOOL!

**Hey y'all, I can't post today, because I have 3 stinkin' school projects to work on. It sucks. So yeah, see y'all next update!**

**~Dystopianlover13 aka Kiri**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey y'all! Btw, I don't actually have a southern accent, it'd just be cool. Anyhow, Here we go!**

Annabeth's Pov:

I turn around as I hear the sirens coming closer. What the... That's when I see a sketchy looking guy sprinting towards us. Someone from inside the police car starts shooting at him, and I scream. Percy covers me and we sit there huddled on the sidewalk. Oh my god. Oh my god. I feel Percy jerk all of a sudden, and he grunts. Oh my god, he's been shot, he's been shot, he's been shot. I whip around and look at Percy, I don't care if the dang police guy is still shooting.

Oh my god. There is a red stain blossoming out from his chest, and his usually tan face is as white as a freshly cleaned sheet.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. Percy, we have to get to a hospital. Uh, just stay calm," I say, remembering all the tv shows I watch where people get injured, and the doctors say, "you've been shot, stay calm," or,"you've been in an explosion," or something like that. I know they're just shows, but they have to be somewhat realistic, right?

I look into Percy's sea green eyes, and I try to talk with the calmest voice I can get right now, but, that's not much considering the circumstances, and I hear a tremble in my voice when I say, "Okay Percy, you-you've been shot," I bite my lip to keep from crying, and continue,"but you're gonna be okay. Got it?"

The fuzz covering Percy's eyes clears away a little bit, and with the smallest voice I've ever heard him talk with, he says,"I've got it. Don't worry about me Annabeth."

I laugh a little, and say, "Percy Jackson, I am trying, but you make it so dang hard sometimes." I look up briefly when I hear the sound of a set of feet running towards us, and I catch a flash of golden hair and ocean blue eyes. Luke? What's he doing here?

He kneels down by us, and says breathlessly, "I heard shots from over here. And, whoa, Percy, are you okay?"

"Not really," he manages to croak out.

Luke looks at me, and he says, "You've called an ambulance, right?"

Oh shoot! I frantically dig in my bag for my cell phone, and I pull it out and dial 911, my fingers flying over the keys.

"I take it as a no..." Luke says, and then bends over to Percy, who's starting to look a little drowsy, and says, "Hey, man, stay awake. Stay with us here. No nodding off for you."

The lady on the phone answers, and says, "Hello, this is 911, what's your emergency?"

"Uh, hi, my friend's been shot. On 7th street, by the..uh..post office," I rush out, trying not to let tears overwhelm my voice.

"Okay, we are sending ambulances right now."

"Okay, thanks," I say, and then hang up.

I look back to Percy, and he has a sheen of sweat on his forehead now, and his eyes keep closing but then Luke pokes him so he stays awake. I anxiously stand up and pace a little bit, and finally, after a few minutes, I hear the all-too-familiar sirens approaching. A swarm of paramedics jump out when they reach us, and they take out the stretcher, and load Percy onto it. Luke and I stand by them the whole time, to make sure Percy's okay, even though he's obviously not. Once Percy's in the ambulance, Luke and I jump in, and sit on the side benches.

Look at us. Two kids with leukemia, the healthy one bleeding out, so, I guess he's not really too healthy anymore.

* * *

I sit down in the chair next to Luke, and I listen to the sound of beeping monitors. Like I haven't heard that enough times before. I sigh, and put my hands in my hair. My gaze travels up to Percy, and, I have to say, for the first time, he's not looking too good. He's hooked up to a whole bunch of machines, and an IV is pumping fluids into his arm. His face is still pale, and his beautiful sea-green eyes aren't open. Well, at least I have a pair of ocean colored ones to keep me company.

**Sorry it was short, I'm trying to do this science assignment, and it's boring. Ugh, oh well, see ya next update!**


	15. Stress!

**Hi guys, sorry I haven't updated. I'm kinda stressed because I have 2 major projects right now for school, and then I have to study for state tests, and then I have band to be concerned about. I'm doing high school band, even though I'm in middle school, and so I'm doing three different bands right now. So ya, sorry. Also, I'm not completely sure what to write.**


	16. OMG!

**Okay guys, I am so sorry I havent updated! I am stressed out right now though! I am in school! I have a final due wednesday for geography, just had a huge science project, I have a quiz tomorrow in math, then I have a test the day after, I have a test thursday in science, I have to practice my instruments cuz I have 2 band concerts and 2 recitals coming up, and I am freaking out! Okay, my schoolwork comes before my fanfiction, so thats why I haven't updated! I'll be back ASAP! Sorry!**


	17. Chapter 17 I AM BACK!

**Okay. I am a terrible person. I know you probably all hate me. WELL, DEAR READERS, I AM BACK! Stupid finals are over, state tests are over, final projects are over, now it's just the last few weeks of school. YAY! Okay, sorry I was gone, I was super stressed with school stuff, and also, I literally have had 3 different music related recitals/concerts in the past week.** **And one more tomorrow. LOVELY. No stress right? Haha...anyways, tomorrow should be the end of it. So ya! **

Annabeth's Pov:

I jerk my head up. I dozed off again.

Fortunately Luke did too, or else he would know that my head was resting on his shoulder. Accidentally. I check to make sure he's still asleep, and thank goodness, he is. I stand up and quietly walk to Percy's bed, and I take his hand in mine. It's so cold. He looks serene, and at peace though. Sweet dreams Percy. I sit down, and I can feel my eyelids start to close again. Then I hear a rumbling, and the world starts shaking. Oh my god. No. Not now. Oh my god. Oh my flippin' god. A freakin' earthquake. Why?! I hear some nurses rushing around outside in the halls, and Luke's eyes blink open.

He looks over at me, and blinks the fuzziness out of his gaze. "What the...Oh shoot...You're freakin' kidding me right?!" he says, once he realizes what's happening. He leaps out of his chair, and he looks into the hallway.

"Hey! Could someone help us out in here please?!" A nurse finally comes in, and she starts toward Percy and me, but then a huge tremor shakes us and we all are thrown onto our butts. My hand is wrenched from Percy's, and I look up. The lights have flickered off, and screams are echoing throughout the halls. I swear when I see a crack forming in the ceiling above us. I try to get up and help Percy in his comatose state. The nurse and Luke have gotten to their feet and unlock the hospital bed from its position. The nurse starts wheeling the bed towards the door, but Luke interrupts her.

"I think it'll be easier if I just take him. We have to get out of here now." The nurse starts protesting, but doesn't stop Luke when he carefully picks up Percy in his arms.

"Okay, we're good." I pick my way carefully over to Luke and we run out into the hallway after the nurse.

It's chaos. Everyone is running around and there's broken glass scattered on the floor. The lights are still out, but Luke calmly finds his way to the stairs, and I follow close behind him. He takes the stairs as quickly as he can, without straining our cancer-ridden bodies or hurting Percy. What a team. We reach the second to bottom floor, and I have to push myself to keep going. My breath comes out in irregular puffs, and my legs feel like cement blocks.

I follow Luke down another flight of stairs, using his blonde hair as a beacon in this broken world.

My foot finally touches the tiles of the bottom floor. Luke carries Percy out the main entrance of the hospital, and I take hold of his arm, so I won't get pushed away from them. Outwardly, he seems somewhat calm, but I can see the fear in his blue eyes. Then another tremor runs through the ground, and we both stumble. Luke tries to stay upright, but, basketball star that he is, his cancer's gotten to him, and he falls under Percy's weight. He lands on the ground, and I can tell right away from his face that he did something.

"My legs...they, this might sound weird, but I think my bones actually hurt," he says, looking up at me. "Here, I'll try to get up."

_One of the symptoms of leukemia: Bone pain_.

He puts Percy down carefully, and then I give him a hand to pull him up. He stands up and grimaces, and then bends down to pick Percy back up.

"'Kay, let's go," he says, the pain evident in his voice.

This time I'm not behind him, we're side by side. We struggle forward together, through the mess of broken glass, rubble, and people. I look over at Luke, admiring how he never stops. He's never stopped. He kept going at the championship game where he was expected to carry his team to victory, and instead got carried off by an ambulance, to find he has cancer. He didn't go into depression. When I first saw him at that shop, he could've been just another guy. I've seen enough people deteriorate inside when they go through something like that, and I've seen it completely change people. Like my mom.

But Luke, he's different.

I see him now, out of breath, sweat dripping down his face, dust coating him, but I swear, he has never burned brighter.

Luke is a flame. And he will never, ever, go out.

**Is it possible to fall in love with a character of your own? Because, I'm starting to really like Luke. **


End file.
